When it comes to bucket list experiences, nowhere tops Scotland. Whether you’re skirting the swirling, scowling eye of one of the largest whirlpools on the planet, watching the sunset dip and dance over ancient standing stones, or monster hunting on the world’s most famous body of water, if it’s epic adventures you’re after, you simply #MustSeaScotland!
It’s a land of myths and majesty where magic can be found all around you. It’s in the stones of our towering, crumbling castles; within the deep, dark waters of our lochs; and on the banks of its canals first carved from the rugged rock centuries ago. Discover what awaits you on your next adventure in Scotland below – and why you #MustSeaScotland during our Year of Coasts and Waters 2020!
Grab your free Sail Scotland brochure, create your own unforgettable moments as you sail Scotland and make sure you share them with us on social media by tagging them with #MustSeaScotland or uploading them to our gallery!
Explore the magic of the ‘Misty Isle’
Skye
Skye is an island alive with magic. The largest of the Inner Hebrides, it’s home to some of Scotland’s most iconic landscapes. From the Old Man of Storr to the Quiraing and the Cuillin mountain range, Skye offers a plethora of sights to enthral the senses – and twist the tongue – but it’s also one of the few places in Scotland you can follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs! Head for Staffin Bay on the north of the island and step back in time to when a family of Ornithopods plodded along the sands some 165 million years ago!
Can’t wait to explore Skye in person? Pay it a virtual visit in our 360-degree video! For the full experience, simply click the image below, head to our YouTube channel and see the videos in their full-screen glory!
Set foot inside Smoo Cave
Durness
Its name might be taken from the Old Norse for ‘hiding place,’ but the only thing this dramatic, spectacular sea cave in Sutherland is concealing is an experience unlike any other. It’s epic in every sense of the word.
Skirt the eye of the Corryvreckan Whirlpool
Argyll
Sailing around the swirling, scowling vortex of the Corryvreckan (one of the largest permanent whirlpools on earth) as it roars at the heavens? Utterly, undeniably incredible!
Catch a sunset at the Callanais Standing Stones
Isle of Lewis
5,000-years-old and more than a little magical, the Callanais Standing Stones predate Stonehenge and have entranced visitors and baffled archaeologists for centuries. One thing’s for sure – you’ll never forget seeing the stones as the ‘Mirrie Dancers’ birl through the heavens above.
Go monster hunting on Loch Ness
Highlands
Legendary Loch Ness – home of myths, monsters, and majesty. Take to its iconic waters to explore breathtaking scenery and the on-going mystery of its hide and seek grand champion. After all, everyone needs that one tale of what they think they saw in its inky blue waters…
Drain a dram on Jura
Inner Hebrides
A land of soaring mountains and rugged coasts, Jura is wild, untamed and utterly unforgettable. Sampling a dram of whisky in the island’s titular distillery is the perfect way to mark the legendary experience of sailing around the iconic island.
Find out the secrets of Fingal’s Cave
Isle of Staffa
Unique, haunting, and utterly unforgettable – setting foot in Fingal’s Cave, a 227-foot cavern comprised entirely of hexagonal stone, is unlike any other experience on the planet. Sir Walter Scott called the cave “one of the most extraordinary places I ever beheld” but this is one wonder you need to see for yourself.
Explore the lost world of St Kilda
Outer Hebrides
Getting to St Kilda isn’t easy – but it’s more than worth it. This isolated archipelago is home to soaring sea cliffs, abandoned villages, unforgettable landscapes – and the largest colony of puffins in Europe. Set sail to what feels like the edge of the world and explore its secrets.
Canter up to The Kelpies
Grangemouth
Pay a visit to the eastern gateway of the Forth & Clyde Canal and you’ll sail in the shadow of The Kelpies – the world’s largest equine sculptures. Clad in almost 1000 shimmering steel panels, standing the same height as six and a half double decker buses, and weighing more than 600 tonnes, they’ll take your breath away!
Climb Neptune’s Staircase
Highlands
Set sail for a unique experience on the incomparable Caledonian Canal and follow in the footsteps of the Gods as you climb Neptune’s Staircase – the longest lock flight in Britain – in the shadow of mighty Ben Nevis.
Sink your toes into Luskentyre Sands
Isle of Harris
No cruise to the Outer Hebrides is complete without a visit to South Harris’ spectacular Luskentyre Sands – although you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d sailed into the Caribbean! Miles of blindingly white sands, crystal-clear turquoise water – it’s like a little Hebridean slice of Barbados!
Drop in to the ‘Cauldron of Waters’
Drop in to the ‘Cauldron of Waters’Skye
A place of deep, dark water and soaring summits, Loch Coruisk is without doubt one of Scotland’s wild places. Circled by Skye’s iconic Black Cuillin mountains and only accessible via a silver slip of a river, standing on the banks of the ‘Cauldron of Waters’ is an epic experience. As Sir Walter Scott put it after a visit to Coruisk in 1814, ‘Rarely human eye has known a scene so stern as that dread lake.’ Epic, eerie, and utterly unforgettable.
